Thursday, August 1, 2013

Putin gives Snowden Asylum

Snowden has been granted asylum in Russia. President Obama's 'reset' continues to pay dividends. What a joke. The degree to which the President's policy towards Russia has failed is truly extraordinary. As I've argued on numerous occasions, the United States must get tougher with Putin. From Syria to Snowden, Putin's government stands in stark opposition to fundamental interests of the United States.

Let's be clear, Snowden's leaks were a breach of the oath that he signed when he entered the US intelligence community. Like Kiriakou, he failed his colleagues and his nation. Yes, the oversight mechanisms that govern US signal intelligence collection are confused and ill defined. Yes, we must bear scrutiny against government abuse of power. But to anyone who knew anything about the NSA, Snowden's actions offered little new information. He should have reported his concerns to the Congressional Intelligence Oversight Committees. Yet, by releasing information on US Intelligence operations - like those conducted in the EU, Snowden has damaged the standing of the United States and complicated the process of necessary, lawful intelligence collection.